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Implementing SugarCRM 5.x

Install, configure, and administer a robust Customer Relationship Management system using SugarCRM

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Book Details

ISBN 139781847198662

Paperback352 pages

About This Book

Analyze and weigh deployment options based on your needs and resources

A brief overview of the benefits of SugarCRM 6.0

Review powerful built-in customization tools and popular third-party enhancements for your SugarCRM system

Learn about on-going maintenance needs such as backups and user management

Who This Book Is For

If you are a small-medium business owner/manager with reasonable IT skills, a system implementer, or a system administrator who wants to implement SugarCRM for yourself either as a first CRM or as a replacement for existing solutions, this book is for you.

Existing SugarCRM users who want to broaden their understanding of the topic will find this book valuable too. No programming knowledge is required to use this book to implement, customize, and use SugarCRM.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Doing Business—Better

Small and medium-size businesses: The good, the bad, and the ugly

What is Customer Relationship Management?

What are my CRM options?

What is SugarCRM?

How will this book help me tailor SugarCRM to my business?

Our case study: RayDoc Carpets, Doors, and Windows

Summary

Chapter 2: One Size Does Not Fit All—CRM Your Way

Identifying the CRM needs of your business

Which business activities will be a part of your CRM?

Business models and their specific requirements

How do I make shrink-wrapped software suit my business?

Customer-centric business management

Requirement analysis

Summary

Chapter 3: CRM Deployment Options

Deployment alternatives

Choosing a server operating system

Web-based application platforms

Backup and security considerations

Performing the installation

Summary

Chapter 4: SugarCRM Basics

CRM processes and terminology

SugarCRM navigation: Accounts and contacts

The sales pipeline: Leads and opportunities

Sales activities

Advanced user-interface features

Summary

Chapter 5: Extending The Business Role of Your SugarCRM System

Resetting the database

Marketing campaigns

Campaign metrics

Summary

Chapter 6: The SugarCRM Ecosystem

SugarCRM Community Edition

SugarCRM Professional/Enterprise Editions

Participating in the SugarCRM online community

Summary

Chapter 7: Managing Your CRM Implementation

Key steps to a successful CRM implementation

Some common pitfalls

It takes a team to win

Setting project goals and specifications

Selecting a CRM development partner

System development

The CRM training process

CRM training materials

Going live: Stepwise introduction

Continuous feedback and enhancement

Summary

Chapter 8: Linking Your Customers to Your SugarCRM

Capturing leads from your website

Customer self-service portals

Summary

What You Will Learn

Install a CentOS LAMP stack for use by SugarCRM

Perform a needs analysis for your business and learn to match those needs to functional areas of SugarCRM

Learn system navigation and the use of various features such as the Opportunity Manager

Deploy an instance on a Linux or Windows-based server

Learn one of SugarCRM’s most popular features – the e-mail marketing campaign feature

Extend SugarCRM to allow third-party access to add to or view the data it contains

Use the SugarCRM data import tool and learn some common problems one may encounter when using it

Explore the SugarCRM framework and get information on extending and applying advanced customizations

In Detail

SugarCRM is a popular customer relationship management system. It is an ideal way for small-medium business to try out a CRM system without committing large sums of money. Although SugarCRM is carefully designed for ease of use, attaining measurable business gains requires careful planning and research.

This book will give you all the information you need to start using this powerful CRM system. It is the definitive guide to implementing SugarCRM. Whether you are wondering exactly what benefits CRM can bring or you have already learned about CRM systems but have yet to implement one or you're working with SugarCRM already, this book will show you how to get maximum benefit from this exciting product. It demonstrates how to install SugarCRM and also how to get the most out of it by customizing it and integrating CRM into your organization as per your needs.

Focused on the needs of the enterprise, this book provides a solution-driven approach for both business and IT specialists to get the most from this powerful and popular Open Source application. It begins with a general discussion about CRM. You will then learn the benefits of such systems, and then explore SugarCRM and its unique value. You will then go through the guidelines for installing and making deployment selections that are set out alongside information for identifying, planning, and applying customizations. Training guidelines and ongoing administrative tasks will be discussed as you progress further into the book. A brief overview of SugarCRM 6.0 is provided at the end of the book.

Authors

Angel Magaña

Based in Los Angeles, California, Angel currently works as a CRM consultant helping businesses of all sizes realize the benefits of SugarCRM. He is a seasoned veteran of the technology world, initially getting his start in the CRM industry back in 1996 with GoldMine Software (now FrontRange Solutions). During his years at GoldMine he authored numerous technical documents, and contributed heavily to development and product management efforts that helped make GoldMine a leading and award-winning solution.

His affection for open source software began in 1998 when he started exploring Red Hat Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP; a combination now widely known as the LAMP stack. As an advocate of open source technologies, Angel has continually focused on emphasizing their feasibility and viability in relation to CRM and small business needs.

SugarCRM first caught his attention in 2005. Impressed by what he saw, Angel quickly moved to familiarizing himself with its capabilities, and shortly thereafter deployed his first instance. Since then, Angel has continuously refined his SugarCRM skills while also sharing his knowledge with others as an active member of the SugarCRM user community. In addition to his numerous contributions on the SugarCRM Forums, his projects on SugarForge.org have earned him two "Project of the Month" recognitions. Angel also maintains a blog at http://cheleguanaco.blogspot.com, where he shares additional insights on customizing and troubleshooting SugarCRM.

Away from the computer he is an avid soccer fan and regularly writes about the local soccer scene for LAist.com. When he is not playing, watching or writing about soccer, he is out running, riding his bike or enjoying the outdoors. He is fluent in English and Spanish, with a little French in between. His two dogs are a constant source of amusement.

Michael Whitehead

Michael Whitehead is a leading authority on the design and implementation of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. Michael’s experience and expertise spans a thirty year career in software architecture, design and development as well as business management and ownership of multiple technology organizations. Among many other accomplishments Michael is the contributing author of the SugarCRM Open Source User Guide.

Michael has authored this book for entrepreneurs and small/medium business leaders, like himself, to help propel the success of their businesses through the disciplined application of CRM best practices. More than just a practical guide for the implementation of SugarCRM, this book explores and explains the business implications—and benefits—of customer relationship management for the small/medium business.

Michael is currently the founder and President of The Long Reach Corporation (www.thelongreach.com). Long Reach blends real world CRM expertise with commercial open source technologies to develop and deliver cost effective CRM solutions for small/medium business and divisions of large enterprises. Long Reach offers a full range of SugarCRM implementation, customization and training services. Long Reach is also the developer of Info At Hand™, a complete, commercial-grade, customer-centric business management solution built on SugarCRM Open Source.

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